Chapter Twenty-Three
Vor
Vor wished he were with Lena. Cracking his neck, he closed his eyes and sought calm. He was in a meeting room a door down from the command room, receiving reports from the soldiers who had infiltrated the Paradefense camp.
Vor set his stare on the man who'd been speaking. “They had drawings of the fortress?”
“Yes, Commander,” Private Crinlo said. “I'm sorry, I only got a glimpse before they caught me. They were drafts of the fortress that showed every room, corridor, and courtyard.”
“They built this fortress. I expect them to have renderings of it. But the information is of no use to me unless you saw their point of attack.”
“I saw a red mark on the map, but it was a mile away from the fortress.”
“A mile away?” Vor frowned and pushed the map they had of the area across the meeting table and toward the private. “Show me.”
Crinlo frowned at the map and tapped it. “Here, sir.”
Vor marked it with an X. “Perhaps they're planning on launching explosives from a distance for a surprise attack.” He turned to look at Lieutenant Greis, who had joined them. “Lieutenant, send some men to the back wall with farseers to search this area.” He tapped the map over the X.
“Yes, Commander.” Greis noted the coordinates.
“Anything else?” Vor looked around the table.
“I overheard people talking about a convergence,” Private Lovall said.
“Well, there are many Medeans there,” Greis said. “I expect they're working on several convergences.”
“No, wait.” Vor rubbed at his jaw as he stared at the map.
“I assumed they were converging as well, but now that I'm thinking about it, they wouldn't bother with converging weapons.
They're already armed.” He sat back and considered what he'd be converging if he were with Paradefense.
“At the moment, their key problem is the ward.
But as far as I know, there aren't any convergences that can break a ward. Wards would be irrelevant if there were.”
“So, perhaps they're converging a new war machine?” Greis suggested.
“Perhaps, but that doesn't feel right.” Vor looked at Private Lovall. “Do you have any idea what tent they're converging in?”
“No, Commander, but I was in the east section of the main part of their camp, just outside the gates, when I heard them speaking about it.”
“Tell me what they said—their exact words.”
Lovall frowned. “It was a woman's voice. She said, 'This fucking thing isn't converging.' I don't remember the rest exactly. There was a mention of frequency.”
“What needs to be done frequently with a convergence?” Greis asked.
“I don't know.” Vor frowned from the map to Greis. “Have the soldiers on front wall duty watch the camp for deliveries of strange components, odd noises, or unusual activity. Anything that could be a sign of converging.”
“Yes, Commander,” Greis added another note to his little book. Then he looked up. “Uh, sir, about your guest.”
“Yes?”
“You said we'd all get to meet her. When will that happen? I only ask because I have soldiers asking me.”
Everyone in the room focused on Vor.
“Soon. I need to speak with Lena first and calm her fears. Then I'll bring her among all of you.”
“Do you think she might sing again, Commander?” Private Lovall asked, his expression hopeful—not an emotion seen on Nethren.
Lovall's hope sparked the same emotion in Vor. “I will do my best to persuade her. It may take some time. She's only been here a little over a week, and I haven't let her out of our rooms often. We must give her some time to adjust to us.”
“Yes, Commander. Please tell her we all look forward to hearing her sing again.”
“I will.”
“Commander?” Sergeant Jurr came into the room with a Nethren vidco. “General Ankeh wants to speak to you.”
“Dismissed.” Vor took the vidco, and the soldiers left the room, including the sergeant. He waited until the door was closed before he opened the viewer to find General Ankeh staring back at him. “General.”
“Commander, I've spoken to the other generals throughout Para. They're eager to take more fortresses.”
“Yes, I understand their urgency, sir. But now is not the time.
Paradefense is on high alert. It will be harder, if not impossible, for them to take another fortress.
My advice is that they wait until we've tested Paradefense's response.
So far, the fortress ward has kept them out, but they're converging something, and that concerns me.”
Ankeh nodded. “Considering your report, I agree with you. I'll discuss it with the others.”
“There's more. The man I captured, the Aethari who lost his wings and then escaped, is here. He's shown astounding abilities that worry me. He attacked the fortress with lightning and also used it to kill one of my soldiers.”
“Lightning? What is that?”
“It's natural electricity that comes from certain weather conditions.”
“Then how does the Aethari possess it?”
“I don't know, General. His injuries have altered him. My prisoner, Lena Drask, tells me that the Sources have blessed the Aethari with convergence, but his convergence is different than the Medean ability. He can converge living things, including the elements.”
“Bah! Impossible.”
“I saw it myself. I don't know what his power is exactly, but I watched him fly without wings and summon columns of electricity from the sky that killed upon impact. He hit the fortress with it and damaged the walls.”
“How did he hit the fortress when you have the ward?”
“I lowered it to send out a scouting unit. Through the scouts, I learned about the converging.”
Ankeh grimaced. “I have confidence in you, Commander. Establish our foothold, and then the other cities can follow suit. If they converge something to attack you with, handle it.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Have you . . . alleviated your issues with the Medean woman?”
“I'm working on it, General. She's proven to be powerful as well.”
“How so?”
“I'm not sure about that either. Give me a few days to study her, and I'll have a more thorough report.”
“That sounds concerning, Commander.”
“From what I've seen and experienced, I believe Lena Drask is the key to unearthing our people.”
“A Medean woman?” he scoffed.
“Tech led me to her. She is integral. I'm certain of it.” He paused, then added, “I also spoke to her sister, Liria. The woman is married to that wingless Aethari and has also had visions from Source. Her visions included me. I believe we are on the right path, General. We may not have to fight our way to the surface after all.”
“You think they'll simply open the barriers and let us up?” He snorted.
“I think they are as tired of this war as we are. Their general practically admitted to knowing that the Aethari spread lies about us. They know we don't kill magic. Without that lie, they have no reason to fight us.”
“As if they need a reason.”
“The Aethari will probably protest, but if we show them our strength, I think they'll see that it's less costly to end the war. But this will take time. I will gather information here that will hopefully help the other armies take more fortresses. Then we can bargain from a position of power.”
Ankeh stared at him for a few long seconds. “Very well. I trust your judgment and Source above all. But I want a report on Lena Drask as soon as you've cataloged her capabilities. You say she's integral to our cause, but I want to know how.”
“Yes, sir. I'll vid you as soon as I have an update.”
Ankeh nodded and cut the feed.
Vor closed the vidco and stood up. His calm was a facade, and it was crumbling. He needed to get to Lena. Now.